1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to merchandising aids, and relates more particularly to the manner and means by which a label holder including, in particular, an electronic shelf label (ESL) carrier, is easily and removably secured to a merchandising shelf, particularly a merchandising shelf associated with displays of meat, fish and egg products that are subject to frequent washing operations. For simplicity, the terms “label holder”, “label/sign holder” and “label carrier” are used interchangeably to include label holders with or without one or more means to also carry a sign or flag and to also include ESL carriers that include an ESL holder (with or without a cover) and an ESL attachment member, as discussed below.
2. Description of the Related Art
Consumer-oriented product information labels are commonly found in supermarkets, drug stores, and the like and provide purchasers with the unit price, promotional and nutritional information, and the like and, also, commonly include bar codes or other inventory control information for the use of the store personnel. Such information may be carried on paper or plastic labels secured directly to the side of a shelf unit or the front edge of a merchandise shelf, but the use of adhesively-backed labels has obvious disadvantages in the constantly changing commercial environment found in today's marketplace. More often, plastic label holders are provided which are adapted to removably receive and display the labels in a well known manner.
Such label holders are generally provided in elongated sections, perhaps 4′ or more in width, and may be secured by adhesive strips or the like to any supporting surface such as the side of a shelving or warehouse unit. However, most applications for such label holders are directly on the front flange or in the C-channel of the front edge of a product display shelf. Various prior art embodiments of such label holders can be seen in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,713,899, 5,458,307, 5,488,793, 5,515,632, 5,682,698, 5,899,011 and 6,105,295, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein in their entireties by reference.
Oftentimes, in addition to the information provided by the product labels, it is desired to highlight certain information about a particular product or group of products by displaying an enlarged “flag” or sign on the shelf, depending from the portion of the shelf carrying such products, or extending into the aisle at such a location. Different forms of “sign holders” are also well known in the merchandising art, examples of which can be seen in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 5,488,793, as well as U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,485,575, 4,531,313, 4,625,441, 4,704,813, 4,917,342, 4,995,182, 5,682,698, and 6,163,996, the disclosures of which are also incorporated herein in their entireties by reference.
Still further, combined label and sign holders are available, such as are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,568,112, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein, and the OMNI™ channel system of Fast Industries which is available in embodiments that attach to C-channels or directly to a supporting surface by double-sided tape or similar adhesive.
More recently, in place of, or in addition to, such paper or plastic information containing labels, electronic information carriers have been employed. Electronic shelf labels (ESLs) are generally integrated with the in-store processor (ISP) or a free-standing controller that communicates with file information supporting the store's point-of-sale system. The ESL system may include low-voltage communication electronics or communication base stations (CBS) located in store ceilings away from the store operations. The ESLs are positioned throughout the store to identify an item's retail price and other information of interest to the consumer or for use by the store's inventory system. These ESL units, however, much like paper labels, require a carrier device to facilitate supporting them at selected locations, usually on the front of a store merchandise shelf. The ESL carrier may be of three components, the ESL holder, a cover for the holder (optional), and an attachment member that supports the ESL holder and attaches directly to a support surface of the merchandise shelf. See U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/448,049 filed May 30, 2003 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,935,062, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein.
Each of the above label holders, sign holders, combined label and sign holders, and ESL carriers may be attached or affixed to a supporting surface of a merchandising shelf through various arrangements. Generally, these arrangements might include a C-channel with which the attachment member of the label holder or carrier may be releasably secured. In situations where a C-channel is lacking, generally the attachment is made directly to a supporting surface of the merchandising shelf in a fixed manner, such as by adhesive or double-sided tape.
In grocery and warehouse stores that have packaged and prepared meat departments, FDA guidelines require a “hosing down” and cleaning of the meat cases on a periodic and frequent basis, such as weekly. Thus, all labels and signs have to be removed or run the risk of being damaged by water. Thus, a need exists to provide a system for protecting damage to the label holder, particularly where the label holder is an ESL carrier system where the electronic components can be damaged by water, in an efficient and inexpensive manner.